No Fear...Yeah Right

I have mentioned before that as a kid- one who was extremely girly and not tomboyish at all- my wardrobe consisted of mostly Umbros and tshirts, my favorite of which were the brand NO FEAR. They said things like, "A Champion is one who gets up even when they can't...NO FEAR!" or "He who dies with the most toys still dies...NO FEAR."

NO FEAR tackles all sorts of scary subjects...falling, failure, crying, sports, etc. But for some reason they failed to leave off the scariest subject of all...

THE DENTIST

Seriously, there is not much in this world I am afraid of more than the dentist. And honestly, I would rather go anywhere or do anything than have to sit in that chair and have them prod metal tools and grind gritty toothpaste all over my mouth.

You might think I am a chicken, a wimp, or flat out ridiculous. You may be judging me, which you know as a reader you are not supposed to do while reading this blog. But you'd be deathly afraid of the dentist too if...

1. Your anesthesia ran out during a minor gum surgery when you were 8! (I could stick a nickel between my two front teeth back then, so let's just say my mouth needed a little fixin!)

2. A dental hygienist made you cry when you were 21, and when your mom called to report it later that day, that same dental hygienist had already been fired. Looks like I was the last victim in her chair before she was terminated.

3. When you are 25 and working in ministry, your childhood dentist makes you pay $1000 of your hard-earned money on a mouth guard that you don't need to fix a jaw problem that you don't have. When in reality, all you needed was a little Advil because you had temporarily injured it on a frozen peanut m&m. (Go ahead and judge here, it's legit!)

So you see, my fear is justified and thus, I had not been to the dentist in 2 years! And had no intention of going back either, no intention of conquering that fear. That is until my sweet, subtle mother kept reminding me how desperately I needed to get my teeth cleaned so they wouldn't just fall out while I was in seminary! (The chances are not good of finding a cute boy up there without any teeth!)

So yesterday, I decided to conquer my fears and after a couple of shots of tequila (just kidding), after a couple of diet cokes, I ventured up to see my friend Lee Bridgeman, who swore he could change my thoughts of dentists all together. And I would just like to give a shout out, a congrats, and a thanks to Lee and all the folks at Bridgeman Dental because guess what...THEY DID!

When talking to my sweet, subtle mother on the phone on the way home I actually described my dentist visit as a pleasant experience! Words I have never before uttered..

Maybe it was because my friend Michelle (Lee's wife) greeted me when I walked in...

Maybe it was because my hygienist actually asked frequently if she was hurting me instead of just jamming those stupid metal tools deeper and deeper into my un-flossed gums!!

Maybe it was because of all the compliments she gave me saying my teeth looked great for not having gone to the dentist in 2 years! (I'm an easy sell. Flattery typically works!)

Maybe it was because the gritty toothpaste actually smelled and tasted like a Miami Vice (you know, Pina Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri mix). If I closed my eyes, I could almost swear I was laying out on the beaches of Cancun rather than in the dentist chair.

Maybe it was because after two years of no dentist, I still had NO CAVITIES! What what!

Whatever it was...my fear is gone. Lee, you are a miracle worker and have made a believer out of me. I will now and forever more, call you my dentist. For any of you that are crippled by a phobia of your local dentist, give Lee and his crew a call. Many, many thanks, Lee!

All smiles...and a clean one at that-

Caroline